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A mattress on the floor doesn't quite cut it once you're out of your teens. Elevate your mattress and provide much-needed storage by making a bookcase bed frame. A set of 12-inch-deep shelves beneath your bed creates ample space to store and showcase books, colorful bins and other decorative items while keeping your bed platform at a comfortable height. Using simple tools, basic woodworking skills, and standard cuts of lumber available at any local building supply store, you can quickly and easily build a bookcase bed frame to fit a double, or full size, mattress.

Side Bookcases

1

Cut two pine one-by-12s 96-inches long to 62-inch lengths using a chop saw or circular saw. From the remaining 34-inch lengths, cut two boards measuring 15 inches long and one board measuring 12 3/4 inches.

2

Measure and mark 30 5/8 inches from the end of the 62-inch boards and draw a line across the boards at the marks using a carpenter’s square and pencil. This mark indicates where the 12 3/4-inch board attaches to the bookcase to provide support at the center.

3

Position the 12 3/4-inch board between and perpendicular to the 62-inch boards and line it up to the marked lines so it sits at the center of the 62-inch boards. Apply wood glue to the short ends of the 12 3/4-inch board, and screw through the faces of the 62-inch boards into the ends of the 12 3/4-inch board using a power drill and 1 1/4-inch screws.

4

Line up the short ends of the 62-inch boards perpendicular to the 15-inch boards, forming a 62-by-15-by-12-inch box. However, offset the bottom 62-inch board 3/4 inch from the edges of the 15-inch board to create 3/4-inch “feet” at the bottom of the bookcase. Glue and screw the boards together.

5

Measure and mark a 15-by-63 1/2-inch strip of plywood using a chalk line. Cut the strip using a circular saw and attach it to the back of the bookcase using wood glue and 1 1/4-inch screws.

6

Repeat the steps to create a second bookcase identical to the first.

End Bookcase and Center Supports

1

Build the bed frame’s end bookcase the same as you did previously for a side bookcase, but cut the boards 54 inches long and the plywood strip 55 1/2 inches long. To position the 12 3/4-inch board at the center, measure 26 5/8 inches from the end of the 54-inch boards.

2

Arrange both side bookcases 30 1/2 inches apart, with their plywood surfaces facing each other -- open-shelf side facing out. On the plywood face, mark a horizontal line 3/4 inch down from the top of the bookcase.

3

Cut two pine two-by-fours to 63 1/2-inch lengths. Fasten a board to the back of each side bookcase, just under the horizontal line marked on the plywood faces, using screws and wood glue.

4

Cut 11 pine one-by-three boards of 30 1/2-inch lengths to act as slats for supporting the bed by spanning between the side bookcases. Lay the slats with their ends resting on top of the two-by-four rails, spaced evenly along the rails. Screw down through the top of each slat into the two-by-four rail below using 1 1/4-inch screws. To allow for easy disassembly, do not use glue.

5

Place the end bookcase at one end, with its plywood surface facing in, perpendicular and fastened to the side bookcases with 1 1/4 screws.

Things You Will Need

Tape measure

Pencil

Chalk line

Carpenter’s square

6 pine boards, one-by-12, 96 inches

Sheet 1/4-inch plywood, 48-by-96 inches

2 pine boards, two-by-fours, 96 inches long

5 pine boards, one-by-threes, 96 inches long

Safety glasses

Hearing protection

Circular saw

Chop saw

Wood glue

Power drill with bits

1 1/4-inch screws

2-inch screws

Tips

Ask the lumber store to cut the plywood sheet into 15-by-96-inch strips to make them easier to carry and fit in a car.

Warning

About the Author

Ann Salter began writing professionally in 2010 and has worked extensively in the fields of art, architecture and design since 2004. Her work has appeared in informative guides on student housing cooperatives and sustainable building alternatives. Other areas of specialty include technology, health, gardening and cooking. Salter holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo.